Gizzard processing device

ABSTRACT

IN ABSTRACT, A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THIS INVENTION IS A GIZZARD CLEANING MACHINE WHICH USES A VACUUM NOZZLE TO REMOVE DIRT FROM SPLIT GIZZARDS, USES A VACUUM TO HOLD THE GIZZARDS ON A CONVEYING BELT AND USES A VACUUM TO PULL THE STOMACH GUT INTO ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN A PAIR OF SKINNING ROLLS.

May 25, 1971 c, EDWARDS, 5R 3,579,714

GIZZARD PROCESSING DEVICE Filed NOV. 21, 1968 JOHN C. EDWARDQ SR.

INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,579,714 GIZZARD PROCESSING DEVICE John C.Edwards, Sr., 519 Hilltop Drive, Raleigh, N.C. 27610 Filed Nov. 21,1968, Ser. No. 777,649

Int. Cl. A22c 21/00 US. Cl. 17-11 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Inabstract, a preferred embodiment of this invention is a gizzard cleaningmachine which uses a Vacuum nozzle to remove dirt from split gizzards,uses a vacuum to hold the gizzards on a conveying belt and uses a vacuumto pull the stomach gut into engagement between a pair of skinningrolls.

This invention relates to cleaning devices and more particularly togizzard cleaning devices.

In the past, various types of gizzard splitting, cleaning and skinningsystems have been developed in attempts to automatically achieve theseoperations while meeting health standards set up by State and Federalagencies.

Through experience, it has been found that a relatively large number ofgizzards, particularly in Government inspected processing plants, mustbe discarded as waste because they are found to have one or more specksof dirt on them. This is particularly true in the fatty portion of thegizzard.

In making attempts to eliminate the residue of dirt, various shapes ofwater nozzles have been devised to wash the dirt from the split gizzard.These attempts, however, have not been satisfactory for several reasons.One is that covers are required over the spray headers to prevent thedirt and water from being splashed into adjacent processing areas. Thesecovers allow dirt to accumulate above the gizzards being cleaned. Whenthis dirt falls from the cover, the gizzards below are recontaminated.The covers also prevent repairmen from watching the operation of thecleaner so that they may determine what adjustments might be necessaryfor more efficient operation.

One of several other problems encountered in the use of the prior artmachines is that of the gizzards being bruised, torn or otherwisedamaged during processing. This is particularly true in devices of thetype which use endless, high speed conveyor chains with damaging barbsor projections spaced at intervals thereon for engagingly holding thegizzards as they pass by the various processing stations. Aside from thebruising effects of the barbs, this type of equipment is expensive tomaintain due to the high most of manufacture and the short operationallife of conveyor chains in a wet environment.

The present invention has been developed after much research and studyinto the above mentioned problems and is designed to drastically reducethe number of gizzards lost due to contamination and physical damage. Indoing this, applicant has also come up with a less complicated unitwhich is less expensive to build and operate and yet one which functionsin a far superior manner with better cleaning and less damage than priorknown systems.

It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide arelatively flat belt conveyor having at least one opening therein towhich a vacuum is applied to hold the gizzard being processed inrelative fixed position to said belt.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaningmeans for removing the dirt from the interior of a split and spread opengizzard.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a gizzardwashing station immediately following a vacuum cleaning station alongthe path of a gizzard conveyor belt.

3,57,714 Patented May 25, i971 Another object of the present inventionis to provide in a gizzard processing device a vacuum gut puller beneatha pair of skinning rolls to more quickly and more readily cause the gutto come into operative contact with such rolls.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a gizzardcleaning device which includes an endless type conveyor which moves at amuch lower velocity than thought practically feasible in prior artdevices.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent and obvious from a study of the following description and theaccompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of the presentinvention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the gizzard cleaning device of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

With further reference to the drawings, the gizzard processing equipmentof the present invention indicated generally at 11 has a chute orconveying means 12 extending from a load area (not shown) to a point 13adjacent gizzard conveyor belt 14.

The endless conveyor belt 14 is slideably mounted about the vacuummanifold 18 particularly as seen in FIG. 2. This manifold extends from aposition adjacent pulley or drive wheel 15 to rounded end 16. Thus itcan be seen as drive wheel 15 is rotated by a motor (not shown) in thedirection indicated by the arrow, belt 14 will move around manifold 18as indicated. A long slot or opening (not shown) is provided under belt14 so that opening 17 therein communicates between the ambient air andthe interior of the manifold.

Spaced slightly below conveyor 14 at the end opposite drive wheel 15 isa more or less conventional, high speed rotating gizzard slicing orsplitting blade 20. The power means (not shown) to operate this blademay be of any conventional type such as an electrical motor.

A wire or bar type gizzard opening and spreading means 21 has one enddisposed adjacent blade 20, the other end adjacent pulley or drive wheel15. For convenience, the pair of gizzard opening and spreading wires 21are mounted on the sides of the vacuum manifold 18.

A vacuum nozzle 22 and its associated vacuum line 23 are locatedadjacent the point where the gizzard opening means will have completelyspread the split gizzard being conveyed by belt 14. The vacuum line 23is, of course, operatively attached to a suitable vacuum source (notshown).

Further along the path of travel of belt 14, as indicated by the arrowsin the drawings, is a final rinse nozzle 24 and its associated waterline 25. This nozzle, of course, is so located as to spray into theevacuated interior of a spreadopen gizzard.

Although a multiplicity is shown in the drawings, at least one opening26 in the imperforate belt 14- is provided. The belt, of course, shouldbe composed of a relatively friction less material so that it easilyslides in sealed contact with the vacuum manifold 18.

Located adjacent to and below drive pulley 15 is a pair of gizzardskinning rolls 27 of the general type disclosed in applicants co-pendingapplication, Ser. No. 672,033, filed Oct. 2, 1967, and operates in themanner therein described.

Briefly stated, the stomach gut connected to the gizzard hangs downbetween the feed means 30 as the skinning rolls are meshingly counterrotated (by means not shown). To aid and assure that this gut is engagedbetween the grooves of the feed means, a vacuum nozzle 28 and itsassociated vacuum line 29 are located immediately below and adjacent tosuch rolls. A suitable vacuum source (not shown) should, of course, beprovided in operative connection with the vacuum line.

An alternative to using skinning rolls having a feed means similar tothat shown at 30 would be to make this area smooth and of approximatelythe same diameter as the shaft portion 27'. By mounting the vacuumnozzle 28 at the angle shown in FIG. 2, the gut or a portion of the skinof the gizzard would be pulled downwardly and in the direction of theskinning portion 27" of the skinning rolls 27. This would substantiallyreduce the cost of manufacturing the rolls and is considered to be justas efficient if not more eflicient than the present method using thefeeding portion or spirals.

In actual operation of the device of the present invention, amultiplicity of gizzards (not shown) are placed in the chute 12 andmoved to point 13. Because the belt 14 is constructed of a relativelyfrictionless material such as plastic or the like, the gizzards willstop at this point. As belt 14 is moved in the direction indicated bythe arrows in the drawings, one of the holes or openings 17 will passpoint 13. At the same time such opening passes over vacuum manifold '18.This causes a suction through opening 17 which gently engages thegizzard and holds the same over the moving opening.

The gizzard is then carried by belt 14 pass the rotating blade 20 whichslices it open. Since the opening and spreading wires are close togetherat their end adjacent blade 20 see FIG. 1), they both pass into the slitopening of the split gizzard. As belt 14 continues to move, the gizzardis spread open by the diverging wires 21 until it reaches a full spreadposition in area 31. Adjacent this area is a vacuum nozzle 22 whichsucks the dirt from the inside of the gizzard. This vacuum evacuationhas a great advantage over the water cleaning devices of the prior artin that rather than splattering the dirt from the gizzard it is suckedtherefrom into a suitable disposal area (not shown).

As the gizzard being held by the vacuum on belt 14 continues to movepass the vacuum evacuation station it passes above (as oriented in thedrawings) a final rinse nozzle 24 which will clean any residue of dirtleft by the vacuum nozzle 22. This final rinsing does not require nearas much water nor as high pressure to accomplish the desired result asis necessary in the prior art devices where water nozzles are used forthe entire cleaning process. Also since the water hits the open gizzardfrom the bottom thus deflecting it downwardly, the undesirablesplattering and dripping inherent in the prior art devices iseliminated.

As opening 26, with its vacuum held gizzard, passes beyond the end 18'of manifold 18, the vacuum grip is broken. The gizzard then drops fromthe belt onto the feed means of the skinning rolls 27. The vacuum nozzle28 sucks the stomach customarily found on gizzards into the area betweenthe grooves of such feed means 30 and assures that such gut remains inthis area until it is meshingly gripped between the spiraled gearportions of such rolls. Once the gizzard has been skinned, a deflectionmeans (not shown) will force it off the rolls and into either acontainer (not shown) or another conveyor means (not shown) foradditional handling.

From the above, it is obvious that the present invention has theadvantage of providing a more etficient yet less expensive gizzardconveying, cleaning and skinning device than has heretofore beenpossible. The present invention also has the advantage of being moreefi'icient in obtaining consistently higher quality processed gizzards.

The terms above, below and so forth have been used herein merely forconvenience in the foregoing specification and in the appended claims todescribe the gizzard processing device and its parts as oriented in thedrawings. It is to be understood, however, that these terms are in noway limiting to the invention since the device may obviously be disposedin different positions when it is actually operated.

The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specificways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit andessential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalencyrange are intended to be embraced herein.

What is claimed:

1. In a gizzard processing device having a means for placing gizzards ona moving conveyor, means adjacent said conveyor for slicing the gizzardsopen, and means adjacent said conveyor means for spreading the slicedgizzard, the improvement comprising: vacuum means disposed adjacent saidconveyor and said spreading means for removing the dirt from the insideof the open gizzard; means for rinsing said gizzard with a liquiddisposed adjacent said conveyor after said vacuum means; and gizzardskinning means disposed at the end of said conveyor after said gizzardhas been rinsed by said liquid, said skinning means having a vacuummeans operatively associated therewith for assuring proper engagementbetween said gizzard and said skinning means.

2. In a gizzard processing device having a means for placing gizzards ona moving conveyor, means adjacent said conveyor for slicing the gizzardsopen, and means adjacent said conveyor means for spreading the slicedgizzard, the improvement comprising: a vacuum means disposed adjacentsaid conveyor and said spreading means for removing the dirt from theinside of the open gizzard, said conveyor being an imperforate belthaving at least one opening therein with means for applying a vacuum toone side of said belt along a portion of its travel to hold said gizzardon the other side thereof.

3. A gizzard processing device comprising: a generally flat, imperforateconveyor belt having at least one opening therethrough; means forapplying a vacuum to one side of said belt whereby a gizzard to beprocessed will be suckingly held on said conveyor over said opening onthe side opposite said vacuum; means for moving said H conveyor with thegizzard held thereon; slicing means disposed adjacent said conveyor forcutting said gizzard open; spreading means disposed adjacent saidconveyor for spreading the open gizzard; vacuum means disposed adjacentsaid conveyor for evacuating dirt from the interior of said spreadgizzard; liquid rinsing means disposed adjacent said conveyor forrinsing said evacuated gizzard whereby any remaining dirt within saidgizzard is removed.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein a means is provided for removing saidgizzard from said conveyor onto a skinning means; and a vacuum meansoperatively associated with said skinning means to assure properengagement between such skinning means and said gizzard.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,448,693 9/ 1948 Trelease et a1.17l1 2,924,844 2/ 1960 Hill 171 1 3,172,148 3/1965 Hill 17-11 HUGH R.CHAMBLEE, Primary Examiner

